Well this is a really hard post to write, of course saying goodbye to a place you’ve lived in for a decade would not be easy! I’m really going to miss this city so much. Yes, there are parts where dysfunction is at your doorstep, and it’s a conservative news anchor’s dream headline 🙃 but there’s still so much more about this place to love!! Small city, picturesque walks, dense neighborhoods with their own distinctive personalities, and so. many. parks. There are two things I easily love about SF: 1.) Being around so much nature within and around the city, this has helped my mental health so much! And 2.) How cosmopolitan and beautifully diverse this place is. The fact that you can walk from the Italian neighborhood, through the Chinese neighborhood, down to the gay neighborhood, next to the Latino community, all in a single day… so cool. And within these neighborhoods and communities, I’ve met some of the nicest people here who are open minded, inclusive, and just really interesting to talk to. I’m so grateful for all the experiences and people I met in the bay area, and I really hope to come back here one day. ❤️
I wanted to put together a list of restaurants and places I’ve loved over the many years here - Not only do I need to document it for my own memories, but one of these could be your new favorites too!
Food & Drink
We love food and can be picky about where we choose to eat… but I can confidently say that all these places are chef’s kiss 🧑🏻🍳💋 and some even have beautiful interiors or fun music - passes our vibe check ✔️
Pasta 🍝
Indian 🇮🇳 This is my favorite cuisine but I’m always looking for something different other than the usual north indian chicken tikka masala lol. I wish more non brown people knew how diverse this cuisine is! Here are the places from other states in India that we just love
Besharam: Gujarati fusion
Aaha restaurant for some of the best south indian (Andhra specifically, where I’m from!) that I’ve had in the bay, and Copra for a fancier dig.
All other asian 🌏:
Yamo for Burmese (cutest mother-daughter duo running this restaurant. Each entree is $8 and apps are $5 – unheard of in this city!!)
Khin Khao for Thai
Mister Jius for Chinese
Sweet things: My body composition is basically half dessert, can’t get enough
Hot Cookie 🍪 - especially the toffee chocolate chip, and Arizmendi cookies are also amazing. Side note for Arizmendi, try a slice of pizza with this, they only sell 1 kind per day (always vegetarian), and they never miss !!
Ice Cream🍦: Garden Creamery for Asian-inspired flavors, and Salt & Straw for a monthly rotation of great flavors.
Fun cocktail bars 🍸:
My favorite neighborhoods or areas in SF
Most places are known to be “rough around the edges” but in SF, it’s rough right in the dead center. There are certain isolated areas where crime and homelessness are especially terrible, but many other parts are very much lively and safe!
Castro and Duboce: These areas are vibrant and have so much character, yet are very sweet too. You can walk into a hardware store and ask a question, and a bunch of gay uncles will gather to help you fix something.
Parks that make you feel like you’re in the middle of the woods, even though you’re in the middle of a whole city (Mt. Sutro, Mt. Davidson, Presidio, GG park).
Fillmore St and Japantown: So peaceful to explore and shop here. Yesterday we saw an old Japanese man playing the flute for people, not even asking for money, just playing 🥺
Russian Hill: I really feel like I’m in a quaint Europe town when I’m visiting here - so many stairways and little alleys to be explored, tucked away gardens, and beautiful architecture.
Outside SF experiences
One of the best things about living in the bay area are the endless opportunities for day trips or weekend trips. There are the bigger spots like Carmel, Napa, Yosemite, and Tahoe but there are a few, smaller, top-tier experiences that I’ve done with friends that have also stood out as really awesome memories:
Float down Russian River - taco bell and other vices optional but highly encouraged ;)
Stay in an airbnb that feels like a tree house in Monte Rio. There are so many peaceful airbnbs to choose from, and many of them have a hot tub - what’s cooler than hot tubbing in the middle of the forest?!
Rent an e-bike and ride through wineries and breweries: Iron Horse and Crooked Goat in Sebastopol, and BR Cohn, Roche, and Viansa in Sonoma are our favorites.
Day trips out to Berkeley and Oakland:
First Fridays in Oakland are a great time, Oakland museum for a little bay area history (they even have bottomless brunch and a DJ lol). And Oeste is my favorite bar here - their hip hop and R&B music is seriously on point.
Pizzeria da Laura or Sliver Pizza in Berkeley, and then hit up Victory Point for the best board game cafe.
Tried to keep this post short, it was very hard to. Everything here is just tip of the iceberg and I can talk about it for days. But I'll leave it at this for now... next list of fav experiences will come from JAPAN 🇯🇵
You’ve encapsulated so eloquently not only the sights and sounds, the taste and smell, but the very essence of the city of San Francisco ! ❤️💖
Your post no doubt reflects your love and attachment to the city and the Bay Area in general…
You’ll be soon returning to it…😍